The present invention is directed to a protector assembly and, more particularly, to an assembly for protecting corners.
Corner protector devices are well-known in the art and typically employ a protective member which is secured to the corner surfaces by either adhesive means or by fasteners. These prior devices have several disadvantages. One disadvantage for adhesively mounted corner protectors is that an impact on the protective member may impart a sufficiently large force which overcomes the adhesive force between the wall and the corner member such that it moves out of place on the corner. The adhesives used sometimes deteriorate over time. Also, adhesively mounted systems cannot be easily removed once installed. A further disadvantage is the difficulty sometimes encountered in selecting the correct adhesive for a given application.
Another prior arrangement for protecting corners uses visible fasteners which pass through an opening in a protective member to fasten the member to the corner. These systems suffer several disadvantages. The exposed fasteners may present an unattractive appearance. Two other disadvantages are the requirement of either preplacement of drill holes in the wall corner for receiving the fasteners or holding the member in place while holes are drilled in the wall corner. Another disadvantage is the difficulty, especially when the member extends the entire height of the corner, in holding the member in place while the fasteners are applied.
Other corner protection arrangements utilize a member which is supported by one or more retainer clips or brackets which are fastened to the corner and which are concealed from view by the cover member. Typically, these clips or brackets engage open end portions of the cover member to support the cover member. These protector arrangements also suffer from several inherent disadvantages. Where the clips are non-resilient, such as an aluminum extrusion or stamping, it is very difficult to engage the cover member on the retainer clips without sliding the cover member carefully along the corner to ensure that the non-resilient clips engage the appropriate cover member engagement surfaces and thus the cover member must be made in sections, rather than in one-piece, to allow the proper installation thereof. Where the clips are made of a resilient material, such as spring steel, care must be taken when fastening the resilient clip to the wall surface, because overtightening or overdriving the fastener causes the clip to deform or flex outwardly from the wall surface. Because the retainer clip holds the cover member in place, the cover member consequently also flexes outwardly from the wall surface, leaving an unsightly appearance. The edges of the cover member then extend away from the wall which increases the possibility that clothing or an object may catch on the edge and cause the inadvertent removal of the same. If the outward flexure of the retainer becomes too pronounced, the retainer clip may not properly engage the cover member.
The present invention is therefore directed to a corner protector assembly which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages. The corner protector assembly of the present invention substantially eliminates the likelihood of occurrence of flexure of the clip when it is fastened to the underlying wall so that the cover member is consistently engaged in a secure fashion. This is accomplished by providing an elongated corner member having inturned edges at its free ends which engage free ends of a retainer clip fastened to the corner wall. The retainer clip has an opening disposed in its wall engaging portions which interrupts the transmission of any flexural forces to keep them from acting on the retainer clip to flex it outwardly from the corner surfaces. Additionally, the present invention includes a retainer clip which substantially prevents sliding of the cover member, when installed, in an upward or downward direction.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved corner protector assembly having an outer cover member which engages one or more resilient retainer clips affixed to the corner by fasteners in which the likelihood of the retainer clips flexing outwardly and away from the corner is substantially reduced.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly for protecting corners in which the assembly includes a cover member which is applied to the corner and several retainer clips which are fastened to the wall, the retainer clips having outwardly extending tang portions which are adapted to engage the cover member and which retainer clips include deformation reduction means which substantially reduces any tendency of the retainer clips to extend away from the wall surface because of tightening of the fasteners during installation.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved retainer clip for use with a corner protector assembly, wherein the retainer clip has two leg portions which angularly intersect at an apex of the clip, the leg portions having outwardly extending tang portions at the outboard ends thereof, the leg portions further having flexure reduction means in the form of lateral slots disposed between the tang portions and fasteners, the slots substantially preventing the retainer clip leg portions from separating away from the wall surfaces to which they are attached.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a corner protection system which includes an elongated cover member, a plurality of cover member retaining means in the form of angled clip members, each of the clip members having two wall engaging portions and cover member engaging portions, the wall engaging portions each including a transverse slot or similar opening disposed therein adjacent to a fastener therefor and between the fastener and the cover member engaging portions.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood upon consideration of the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention which will be described to follow.